How to Make a Pyramid Puzzle
A pyramid puzzle is a type of word game. The pyramid is a series of blocks in rows stacked on top of each other. Most pyramid puzzles are composed of seven rows. Solvers fill in these rows with words, starting from the top row and moving onto the next. Each word is derived from a clue for each row. The first word is used in the top row and the second word the row below. Each word after the first is an anagram of the previous word, plus one letter.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Pencil
- Marker
- Paint software
- Word processing software
- Printer
- Photocopier
Instructions
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Begin creating a list of seven words for the pyramid. Start with one word of three letters. Pick a second word of four letters that also contains all the letters of the first word. For example, the first word, "cat," builds to a second word, "fact," and so on. Continue until there are seven words for the pyramid.
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Create seven clues for these words. Use a clue such as, "feline friend," for the first word, "cat." Use a clue such as, "true statement," for the second word, "fact." These clues can be as easy or as hard as you like. Rather than using a clue for the first row, you can simply insert the first word. This is useful in helping kids solve these word puzzles.
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3
Draw the puzzle on a sheet of paper. Use a pencil and ruler to create straight edges and to erase mistakes easily. When the puzzle is complete, go back over it in marker. You can also create these puzzles on the computer in a paint or word processing program. Use boxes, circles or dashes. Get creative in how you design these puzzles.
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Write the clues for each word beside each appropriate row of the pyramid puzzle. Use a straightedge to make the words even. These clues can also be typed in next to the puzzle on a computer.
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Make as many photocopies of the completed puzzle as needed. As long as you have one blank copy of the puzzle, you can use it indefinitely.
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Tips & Warnings
When creating puzzles for kids, start with fewer rows to make it easier.
Puzzles can be longer than seven rows. The more rows, the more complex the puzzle.
Choose your words carefully and use good clues to reference them. These clues are the initial thread puzzle solvers will cling to in solving word pyramid puzzles.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit pyramid image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
